May has been a very rainy month this year. I just read that it has to do with the fact that the El Niño phenomenon causes the oceans to warm up which can lead to increased rainfall and flooding.
Well, we've noticed that already...

So far, 104 millimeters of precipitation has been measured in the month of May. This is significantly more than the average for May which is 60 millimeters.

And the problem is that the rain comes in short intense showers. It rains so hard that the sewage system gets clogged and it also takes a long time for the water to seep into the ground.
It doesn't help that many gardens are completely paved over.

I'll share you some of the consequences I noticed during my walk after one of the heavy rain showers.

In the following picture you see a path in between some backyards in an urban area. Due to the fact that a lot of people pave their garden completely the water finds it's way into the alley.

Here is a picture of the pavement. The ground next to the sidewalk isn't able to absorb the amount of rain that has fallen.

Here is another example of that.

The amount of rain does have a positive effect on some things. Flowers and plants grow luxuriantly as you can see in this photo. This bicycle has been parked here a while ago, but it won't be long until it is completely overgrown 😀

I do like going for a walk just after a rain shower. There is a bit more oxygen in the air and there isn't a lot of dust.

Even in the park some puddles remain. This path is made of crushed seashells. I would expect the water to to quickly seep into the ground, but it doesn't. The soil is really saturated.

I did enjoy some lovely views during the walk. There is a Dutch saying 'na regen komt zonneschijn' that translates to 'after rain comes sunshine' which is very true.

And again; nature does enjoy a rain shower every now and then. Everything looks so fresh afterwards...

The reason of the heavy rain showers is alarming. We've seen massive flooding all over the world lately. Brasil and even in Dubai (of all places!) have experienced massive rainfall in the past month. It's important not to close our eyes for the cause of these events and try to prevent the earth from warming up too fast.

I hope you enjoyed my #wednesdaywalk